Across Europe in an electric car: conclusion and tips
Is it feasible to go on a good old-fashioned European driving holiday in an electric car? We find out – and try to break a world record in the process...
What did we learn?
This trip taught us that the concept of the European drive holiday is not going anywhere, even as we transition to an electric future.
However, in order for these cross-continental drives to be truly stress-free it is essential that car manufacturers fit range indicators that are accurate. The Porsche Taycan’s, for example, was spot on for the entire drive, so gave us the confidence to drive at normal motorway speeds between charge points, but this is often not the case.
It’s also vital that fast chargers are widespread, easy to use and reliable. Using the Porsche Connect app we could see which Ionity chargers were available before we arrived, and aside from a slow charge in France, our average charge rate averaged more than 150kW.
Top tips for driving in Europe
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Most European countries require foreign drivers to carry certain documents with them, including their passport, driving licence, the car’s V5 registration document and your travel and car insurance certificates
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Apply for an International Driving Permit, which costs £5.50 and can be bought from a Post Office
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Make sure you have European breakdown cover
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Check if you will be driving though any ecological zones in France. If so you will need to purchase a Crit’Air windscreen sticker to avoid being penalised
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Most European countries charge a toll to travel along their most modern motorways, so make sure you factor this cost into your budget
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Dial 112 for free from any European country to get help from the emergency services
What were the costs involved?
Ionity pay-as-you-go customers are charged £0.69 per kWh, but Porsche Taycan customers get access to the ‘Porsche Charging Service’ for three years with no subscription fee (subscription thereafter is £179 per annum). This allowed us to charge at just £0.30 per kWh.
As a result, our total charging costs for the trip, including our initial charge in the Netherlands came in at just under £120. However, if you were a regular pay-as-you-go Ionity customer this figure would more than double.
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